Geico 400 Notes 'n' Quotes

Who knew? The winner of five of the past six Sprint Cup championships, Jimmie Johnson, seemed right on schedule … but then, along came Brad Keselowski.

Race-track justice: The difference in the race – and the difference in the Chase – was the difference between first-place Brad Keselowski and runner-up Jimmie Johnson. Johnson led the most laps, but Keselowski won the three bonus points for winning. He leads Johnson by those three points. He leads the standings for the first time in his career.

Notable numbers

8 – Keselowski’s career victories

9 – Drivers who led the race

16 – Lead changes

35 – Jeff Gordon’s finishing position

Quotable quotes

“Darian (Grubb) said we made an adjustment instead of putting fuel in the car, and you have to have fuel to finish.” – Denny Hamlin (16th)

“There’s not a lot of pressure now, and the first race is really an opportunity to separate the field.” – Jimmie Johnson (second)

“I just think Brad (Keselowski) does a nice job. I think he prepares for the races. He knows what he has.” – Kasey Kahne (third)